Escape From New York Remake in the Works From Luther Creator

Escape From New York, John Carpenter's classic dystopian depiction of Ed Koch–era New York as a gritty, gray scale fortress of concrete and chaos, is so utterly of its time that translating that archaic notion for the post–Lena Dunham generation is going to be difficult. Various writers and directors have flirted with possible remakes. Gerard Butler almost landed the role of Snake Plissken, and then the original film's star Kurt Russell said the role could only ever be portrayed by a real American. People started to think the remake was dead. But, like Snake himself, the film just won't stay down: Neil Cross, creator of the fantastic BBC show Luther, has been tapped to write the remake of the film, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Though mostly known for his work in TV, Cross wrote the horror film Mama (2013) and doctored the script for Pacific Rim. Carpenter will serve as executive producer. There have been no casting announcements so far, but maybe this means Idris Elba will get to play that patch-eyed rascal Snake Plissken (even if he isn't quite American enough).

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